Fleischer, Nat – Nat Fleischer’s All-Time Ring Record Book 1941 Edition

Description

Fleischer, Nat ‘Nat Fleischer’s All-Time Ring Record Book 1941 Edition’ 548-pages. Original covers show quite a bit of wear, and the spine is heavily sunned, but book is straight with tight binding and internally in good condition. Scarce Souvenir Boxing Writers’ Association of New York (BWAA) edition rare presentation copy featuring the standard light blue paperback wrapper bound seamlessly inside a premium hardcover casing with “SOUVENIR BOXING WRITERS’ ASS’N OF N.Y.” in gold letters at the bottom of the front cover.

The “Presentation” Binding: The core run of the 1941 inaugural edition consisted of roughly 1,000 standard softcover copies utilizing a light blue, heavy-paper wrap. However, Fleischer (who co-founded the Boxing Writers Association of America) had a select few copies specially bound in hardcovers to serve as official souvenirs and luxury gifts for sports editors, colleagues, and prominent members of the BWAA.

Physical Makeup: This specialized edition measures approximately 6 1/4″ x 9 1/2″ and contains 550 pages of text. Opening the hardcover directly reveals the preserved, original light blue soft front cover used for the trade paperback edition.

Because it was the very first issue in the franchise, the 1941 almanac was structured differently from later editions, prioritizing foundational “all-time” history over annual updates.

All-Time Career Logs: Rather than focusing purely on contemporary 1940–1941 fighters, the book sets a baseline for the sport by mapping out the complete career records of legendary retired fighters alongside active contenders of the pre-WWII era.

Birth of the “Fistic Firsts”: This initial volume introduced Fleischer’s signature trivia archive. It catalogs historic milestones such as the first gloved matchups, the history of the earliest woman prize fighter (Elizabeth Wilkinson in 1722), and the early lineage of African American boxing pioneers (like Bill Richmond).

Championship Progression Tables: The manual records the official timeline, dates, locations, and outcomes of every major world title bout across all weight divisions from the modern glove era back into the bare-knuckle archives.